Lessons from the Life of Joseph

[0:00] Joseph demonstrates for us the power of a godly life. I'd like to point out three things about Joseph that we can learn and apply in our lives today.

[0:13] ! How to handle the setbacks of life.

[0:32] Who's not had some setbacks in our lives? I've had lots of them. And thirdly, he teaches us how to deal with hurts.

[0:43] So what was it that made the difference in Joseph's life? We see that in Acts 7 verse 9. Acts 7 verse 9. God was with him.

[0:54] In part it says there. In every trial through Joseph's life, the Lord was with Joseph. We see this mentioned four times in Genesis 39 in fact.

[1:05] It's a recurring principle through Joseph's life. And it held him steady. Joseph lived his life unto the glory of God. So we read his story from Genesis 37.

[1:17] You might want to follow along as we've got the words here. Genesis 37 from verse 3. Now Israel, who is Jacob, loved Joseph more than all his children.

[1:32] Because he was the son of his old age. And he made him a coat of many colours. Verse 4. And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him and could not speak peaceably unto him.

[1:48] So Joseph was the favourite of his father Jacob. Not a good thing to play favourites in families. That was a bad mistake really from Jacob. And his brothers resented this and they hated Joseph.

[2:01] Joseph's name means he increases. We'll see how through his life he increased. Through his life story, we see God building a man.

[2:17] He was just 17 here. And Joseph's father Jacob honoured him. Even though Joseph wasn't the firstborn son, Jacob granted him the family birthrights.

[2:32] And then he clothed him with this beautiful robe, this coat of many colours. And it marked him as the head of the family, the manager of the household under his father. And Joseph shared his dreams to his brothers.

[2:46] About how his brothers and his parents would bow down to him. And this just made the brothers even more mad. And his brothers' envy turned then to hatred.

[2:57] And they decided to kill him. They had enough of this. Verse 18 from Genesis 37. And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him.

[3:12] They wanted to kill him. Verse 19. And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh. Here comes that dreamer, they said. Joseph's life was a dream that would turn into a nightmare.

[3:27] Verse 20. They said, Come now therefore, and let us slay him. Let's kill him. And cast him into some pit. And we will say some evil beast hath been devoured him.

[3:38] And we shall see what will become of his dreams. Because of their hatred, they ended up throwing him alive into a pit.

[3:50] One of the brothers toned it down to not killing him, but throwing him into the pit. Maybe leaving him to die there. And then some slave traders came by. And so his brothers then decided, Let's sell him.

[4:04] We can make some money out of this. They sold him for the price of a crippled slave. And he was then carried off into a strange land. Joseph had lived right. He'd done right.

[4:15] He'd been obedient to God. He'd been obedient to his father. But it cost him his home and his inheritance. And when Joseph's brothers got home, Then they made out that Joseph had been killed by some wild animal.

[4:30] And Jacob was heartbroken. For ages, heartbroken. Genesis 37, 36. And then it says, The Midianites, these slave traders, sold Joseph into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaohs, a captain of the guard.

[4:53] The slave traders sold Joseph as a slave to an Egyptian administrator named Potiphar. He was a high official of the Egyptian courts. And Joseph had been purchased by Potiphar.

[5:05] But really, Joseph belonged to the Lord. He belonged to God. And we pick up then on Joseph's story later in Genesis 39. Joseph honoured the Lord and worked hard at what was assigned to him.

[5:20] He worked hard for Potiphar. He lived out his godly principles, even in this pagan home. And despite the many discouragements and difficulties that he had. Despite how unfairly he'd been treated.

[5:32] And Potiphar promoted Joseph to the highest position in his household. From verse 3, Genesis 39. And his master saw that the Lord was with him.

[5:45] See that again? The Lord was with him. Potiphar noticed that. And that the Lord made all that he did prosper in his hand. Verse 4.

[5:56] And Joseph found grace in his sight. And he served him and he made him overseer of his house. And all that he had, he put into his hand. Here was Joseph, a hard-working, faithful servant.

[6:10] Joseph's life was marked by faithfulness in all that he did. And Joseph served Potiphar with integrity and faithfulness in what he did. Joseph was trustworthy.

[6:22] He lived a life that proclaimed the glory of God. Even in the mundane, day by day, serving of this pagan man. Now let's look at what we can learn from Joseph.

[6:35] Let's try to find some lessons to learn from Joseph. And how we can put that into action in our lives. Firstly, Joseph teaches us how to deal with sin.

[6:49] Now it's common to me. I know someone was asking me through the week, How can I handle this temptation? I know I'm going into a situation where I'm going to face some temptation.

[7:00] You know, join the club. Life's one big temptation, isn't it? We're constantly barraged by that. In some places more than others. In some company more than others.

[7:12] But here was Joseph. He tells us how to deal with temptation. How to deal with sin. What do you do? Flee temptation.

[7:25] Flee temptation. Run away from it. That's what Joseph did. As we'll see in verse 7 of 39. And it came to pass after these things.

[7:36] That his master's wife, Potiphar's wife. Cast her eyes upon Joseph. And she said, lie with me. The wife of Potiphar was constantly tempting Joseph.

[7:48] But Joseph refused her advances. He said no. Good counsel. Is to say no. Just simply say no.

[7:59] He did not cave in. Even though day after day. Verse 10. She carried on. Wouldn't let up. Was continuous. Joseph would rather have gone to prison.

[8:11] Than to betray his master. And his integrity. Joseph could have thought. Well. No one's here. I can get away with it. I can get away with it.

[8:22] No one will know. Temptations like that. Oh. Who's going to know? But no. Joseph said no.

[8:33] Verse 9. How then can I do this great wickedness. And sin against God? He was more interested in what God thought. Than what would have been convenient.

[8:44] Or. Something. He would enjoy. That was sinful. So. Joseph lived out the fear of God. And so should we. Brother and sisters. True. He acted honourably.

[8:55] He determined to live right. To please God. To do what was righteous. Whatever situation he found himself. He could have taken the easy way out. He. But rather. He chose to take God's way out.

[9:06] Amen. That's what he did. He looked for the exit sign. He looked for the exit sign. He looked for the exit sign. He looked for the way out. The way of escape. He was a man set on glorifying God with his body.

[9:18] And so should we be. We should take it seriously. And one day Potiphar's wife. Laid a trap for Joseph. There was no one else around. She knew just the right time.

[9:31] To catch him. And she did catch him. In verse 12. And she caught him. By his garment. She grabbed a hold of him.

[9:42] And then she wouldn't let him go. She said. Lie with me. And he left his garment. He'd rather just leave the garment behind. In her hand. And fled. And got him out.

[9:53] How should we handle. The temptation to sin. Flee. Amen. He fled and got him out. He chose rather to obey the Lord.

[10:05] And he left his outer tunic in her hands. As he ran out of the house. To get away from temptation. But the woman then falsely accused Potiphar. Of assaulting her.

[10:17] And so Joseph was cast into prison. Because of her false accusations. Even though he was a teenager. Joseph lived a righteous life. He paid the price for being righteous.

[10:29] Joseph shows us how to handle the temptation to sin. Joseph took the exit door. The way of escape.

[10:42] Joseph teaches you and me. He teaches us how to handle temptation. How to deal with sin. Flee temptation. As 1 Corinthians 10.13 tells us.

[10:53] There hath no temptation overtaken you. But such as is common to man. But God is faithful. Who will not suffer you to be tempted.

[11:04] Above that ye are able. But will with the temptation. Make a way to escape. That ye may be able to bear it. God will give you the escape route. The exit door.

[11:16] And like Joseph. Avoid getting close to situations of temptation. Keep clear of it. As much as you can. Say no. And find the way of escape.

[11:29] Find the way out. And go for it. Flee youthful lust. Flee fornication. Flee as Joseph fled. And here's now another way we can learn from Joseph.

[11:41] Another lesson we can learn from Joseph. And put into action in our own lives. We see how Joseph teaches us how to deal with the temptation to sin.

[11:54] Flee. We see now how Joseph teaches us how to deal with life's setbacks. Faithful service. How do you deal with life's setbacks?

[12:07] You know when you get passed over for that promotion. When you lose your job even. When you go through hardship. How do you deal with life's setbacks?

[12:18] Wherever Joseph found himself. His life was marked by faithful service. Faithful service. To God and to men. He served well.

[12:30] And he served faithfully. No matter what the setbacks and trials and tests. He served faithfully. This was so in his father's house. It was so in Potiphar's house.

[12:42] And now. As he would now serve in the prison. Because Potiphar's wife accused him. Falsely. He was thrown into prison. It says in verse 20.

[12:54] And Joseph's master took him. And put him into the prison. A place where the king's prisoners were bound. And he was there in the prison. He was thrown into the king's dungeon.

[13:05] The Pharaoh's dungeon. It tells of this place in Psalm 105 verse 18. And it tells how Joseph's feet. Were hurt with the fetters that held him. His neck was put in a collar of iron.

[13:17] It wasn't a pleasant place for Joseph. Despite him having done the right. That can happen for you. You might say no to sin. And suffer for it.

[13:28] But you're glorifying God. That's what Joseph was concerned about. Joseph could have got bitter. With all the injustice. And the hurt that he suffered. Because of others hatred against him.

[13:39] Or the lies that were told against him. He could have taken his bat and ball. And gotten angry. And just stormed off. And just made life one big pity party. For all the hard life that he had.

[13:50] Some people do that. How do you cope with setbacks? You have a pity party. And a tantrum. And a...

[14:01] Life's not fair. Some people do that. That's how they cope with setbacks. But verse 21. But the Lord was with Joseph. And showed him mercy. What does it say?

[14:12] The Lord was with Joseph. And showed him mercy. And gave him favour. In the sight of the keeper of the prison. Here's this common theme again. The Lord was with Joseph.

[14:23] And he just got on with life. Glory to God. The prison keeper put Joseph in charge of all the other prisoners. Verse 22. And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph.

[14:34] To Joseph's hand all the prisoners that were in the prison. And whatsoever they did there. He was the doer of it. So he was in charge of the prison. Under the prison keeper.

[14:45] And there in prison. While Joseph was there. He got a reputation. For correctly interpreting the dreams that people had. God gave him the wisdom to interpret these dreams. For the spiritual meaning.

[14:57] And the practical meaning of these dreams. And so his fellow prisoners. Now included two high profile people. The chief baker. The chief baker. And the chief butler.

[15:08] They'd been thrown into prison. The pharaoh had got upset with them. And then they shared their dreams with Joseph. And he interpreted the meaning of the dreams. How the chief butler.

[15:19] Was to be set free. Yet the chief baker. Was to be slain. And it all happened. As Joseph foretold. The butler had promised to help Joseph.

[15:30] When he was set free. But did he? No. No he didn't. Joseph was forgotten. As soon as he got back to the palace. The butler forgot Joseph. And left him behind in the prison.

[15:42] That's chapter 40 verse 23. And so in life people will let you down. Here's another setback for faithful Joseph. He promised me he was going to get me out of this place.

[15:54] Two years. Longer. He faced the setbacks. And he was faithful. Still. Faithful. Still. You know. People will let you down in life. Sure.

[16:05] Be like faithful Joseph. Faithful in his faith. Faithful in his life. No matter the setbacks he faced. And then in Genesis 41. Again.

[16:16] Two years later. We see. Thankfully. Everything changed for Joseph. It was a radical change for Joseph. It had been a long long wait. But his faithfulness would be rewarded.

[16:28] And it came about that Pharaoh himself. Had some troubling dreams. That none of his wise men or magicians. Could interpret for him. And it was then.

[16:39] The chief butler remembered Joseph. Oh. Who was that man that interpreted my dream? Oh yeah. Joseph. And he told Pharaoh. Of how Joseph. Had correctly interpreted his dream.

[16:51] And so from. Chapter 41 verse 14. Pharaoh then called Joseph. Get me that man. And they brought him hastily out of the dungeon.

[17:02] And Joseph shaved himself. And he changed his raiment. Put on new clothes. And he came. In. Unto Pharaoh. Here was Joseph. Taken from the. Dank.

[17:13] Dirty. Dark. Dungeon. To the. Pharaoh's palace. Right in. Ushered right in. To the personal presence. Of Pharaoh. And then he correctly interpreted Pharaoh's dream.

[17:26] To prepare for the fulfilment. Of those dreams. Those dreams were. The first one was. That Egypt was going to have seven years of plenty. Of bountiful harvests. And.

[17:37] In those seven years of plenty. They should lay. The harvest in store. Store the grain. And then Joseph told how. Pharaoh's second dream. Meant that Egypt was to have seven years.

[17:49] Of famine. Verse 38. Verse 38. Of Genesis 41. And Pharaoh said unto his servants. Can we find such a one. As this.

[18:00] A man. In whom the spirit. Of God. Is. They recognize. This pagan Pharaoh. Recognized the spirit of God. Is in Joseph. Verse 39. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph.

[18:11] For as much as God has showed thee all this. There is none so discreet and wise. As thou art. Thou shalt be over my house. And according unto thy word. Shall all my people be ruled.

[18:23] Only in the throne. Will I be greater than thou. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph. See. I have set thee over all the land. Of Egypt. Joseph was now 13 years old.

[18:34] He'd gone through 13 years. 13 long years. Of suffering and struggle. Of setback after setback. And so Joseph shows us how.

[18:47] To deal with life's setbacks. You might have some setbacks. You've gone through. You're a survivor. There might be a setback next week too. But be like Joseph.

[18:59] Be like Joseph. Faithful. Servers. Despite his many tests. Joseph served faithfully. Wherever he was. Whether it was in the sheep fold. In the servants role.

[19:10] In the Pharaoh's dungeon itself. And now in high office. Now God made him the most influential. Person. In all the known world. At that time.

[19:21] Joseph was promoted by Pharaoh. To be the deputy Pharaoh. In effect. The Prime Minister. He was put in charge. Of the whole kingdom. Verse 42 we read. And Pharaoh took off his ring.

[19:33] From his hand. This was his signet ring. This is what he would stamp things with. And he put it on Joseph's hand. And he raid him in the vestures. Of fine linen. And he put a gold chain.

[19:44] About his neck. So Joseph's brothers. Had taken from Joseph. That coat of many colours. That beautiful garment. That his father. Had made for him. And now he was robed again.

[19:56] In royal vestments. Verse 43. And the Pharaoh made Joseph. To ride in the second chariot. Which he had. And they cried before him. Bow the knee.

[20:07] And he made him ruler. Over all the land of Egypt. Joseph was elevated. To this place of honour. Verse 44. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph. I am Pharaoh. And without thee.

[20:18] Shall no man lift up his hand. Or foot. In all the land of Egypt. So Joseph was a. Certainly promoted. To an honourable position. And at the age of 30 now.

[20:29] Joseph was exalted. To rule over Egypt. What an amazing. Change of events. And this man. Who had lived an horrible life. He'd honoured God. He'd lived faithfully. He'd served faithfully.

[20:40] He was raised to a place of honour. God rewarded Joseph. For his faithful service. Despite all his setbacks. So firstly. We've seen. How Joseph teaches us.

[20:52] How to deal with sin. Flee temptation. Amen. Get out of it. True. Secondly. We've seen. Joseph teaches us. How to deal with life's tests.

[21:04] Life's setbacks. Amen. Faithful service. Amen. Keep on keeping on. And thirdly. We've seen. Joseph teaches us. How to deal with hurts.

[21:16] Now I'm sure none of you have ever been hurt. I'm sure none of you have ever. Had people get under your skin. And cause you. Hurt. But. If you.

[21:27] Are such. A one. Who has been hurt. Joseph shows us. How. We are to respond to that. How do we deal with hurts. Forgive. Amen.

[21:38] Forgive. Forgive. Amen. Forgive people. A mighty worldwide famine arose. And God had given Joseph the wisdom to store the grain. And as the famine struck.

[21:49] Canaan. His homeland. Jacob and his brothers. Were also affected badly. And so all through this time. God had been preparing things up until this moment.

[22:01] God had been preparing Joseph for such a time as this. To rescue God's chosen people from starvation. Amen. And so Joseph through God's leading. And God's planning.

[22:12] God used Joseph to rescue God's chosen people from starvation. Joseph saved millions of people through the grain that he had stored in the years of plenty.

[22:25] So back in Canaan, they were suffering the famine. Jacob sent ten of his sons to Egypt by grain. And they came a second time. We won't labor the detail.

[22:36] But the point is that Joseph's brothers were sent to Egypt. And they came to Egypt and they bowed down to Joseph. Just like he had dreamt they would. Joseph was now 39 years old.

[22:49] And they asked Joseph for food. Here they were. They didn't know it was Joseph. He was dressed differently. He was 17 when they last saw him. Now he's 39. He'd grown up a bit.

[23:01] He'd increased. And so he was now 39 and they asked Joseph for food. And here they were bowing before one of the most powerful rulers in the whole world. One who stood only behind Pharaoh in Egypt.

[23:13] And he had the authority to execute them. And Joseph here now was dressed in the finery of the position as one fitting in dress.

[23:27] Fitting for the position of the Prime Minister of Egypt. And here were these humble lowly shepherds. Jewish shepherds stooping down before him. And he recalled perhaps the vivid memories of his years of pain.

[23:41] Of his hard years of suffering. Of rejection. Of loss. And they had wronged him. And had deeply hurt him. And here now.

[23:52] He held the power and authority to deal severely with them. Yet Joseph did not. He did not take revenge. He had a forgiving heart.

[24:04] Those people that had wronged him. That had hurt him. His own flesh and blood. Yet he had no bitterness. Or resentment. Certainly he showed it not. Rather he showed forgiveness.

[24:16] And brothers, sisters today. For the people that have wronged you in your lives. Extend grace. And forgiveness. Forgiveness is one of the highest virtues of the Christian life.

[24:29] It takes integrity. It takes a resolution. It takes a determination to forgive. Doesn't it? You know there's people in your life that have wronged you. There's people that have wronged me.

[24:41] It hurts. It still hurts. Deeply hurts. Yet. Let's be like Joseph. Amen. Amen. Be like Joseph. Joseph had a forgiving heart.

[24:52] He saw that all that God had allowed him to go through. It was all part of God's plan. For such a time as this. It was all. God had a plan right through all of that.

[25:05] And now it was clear. Why God had allowed this to happen. God had a plan for Joseph. To rescue his family from famine.

[25:16] To save the nation. And to do God's wonderful work. And was all part of God's plan. It didn't seem like it made sense. Because he struggled through that wrongdoing.

[25:27] The wrongs that had been done to him. The false accusations. Yet God's will was being worked out in his life. For such a time as this. And Joseph had passed every test.

[25:39] And he'd learned more from his experience. He'd increased in his faith. He'd learned to increase. To trust God more. To stand firm and fast.

[25:50] And not buckle and bow to the pressure. The temptation. God was building a man. He was building this man. Joseph. His name means.

[26:01] He increases. God was building a man. A giant of a man. Joseph. And he's doing that for you. For me. He's increasing you. That you should grow more and more.

[26:12] That you would abound more and more. That you'd grow stronger. And more abounding. And more gracious. God was building a man. So we pick up the story now. In Genesis 45.

[26:23] And the great ruler of Egypt now spoke to them. They didn't know it was Joseph. They were just bowing down. Please. We want some food. He said. I am Joseph.

[26:36] 45 verse 3. And they were shocked. They were troubled at his presence. It was. It shocked them. It rocked them. They could not answer him. And 45 verse 4.

[26:47] It says. Joseph said unto his brethren. Come near unto me. I pray you. And they came near. And he said. I am Joseph your brother. Whom you sold into Egypt. Even in this most trying of times.

[26:59] Joseph showed a sweet spirit. He showed grace and forgiveness and kindness. Verse 15. What did he do? He could have thrown them into the dungeon. Moreover he kissed.

[27:09] All his brethren. And wept upon them. He hugged them. He kissed them. He embraced them. He loved on them. And after that. His brethren talked with him. The unity.

[27:21] The reuniting. The forgiveness. The love. God was at work here in Joseph. And the Lord made provision through Joseph. To sustain Israel then. Through this time of severe famine ahead.

[27:32] And the Lord would use Joseph to sustain them. So God had done this. He planned it all. Verse 20. Joseph told them. The good of all the land of Egypt is yours. He was bound to fall in his generosity.

[27:45] And his kindness. And so while in Egypt. The Israelites grew to a great nation. Over a million people. Joseph had had 21 years of a hard life.

[27:56] But he had 71 years of a blessed life. His was a consistent life. A life of integrity. Integrity means consistency. Friends today.

[28:06] Integrity means consistency. It means do right with the right heart. Integrity is the opposite of hypocrisy.

[28:17] Now you can put a pretense on. And be one thing here. And another thing there. But God wants integrity. Young man.

[28:28] Young woman. He wants you to have integrity. And older men. Older women. Integrity is the opposite of hypocrisy. Let me tell you a quick story.

[28:40] There was a man called General Dean. He was a prisoner in communist North Korea. And a time came when he was told. Right. Today is execution day.

[28:51] General Dean. You are going to be executed by a firing squad. In a few minutes. And General Dean was given this moment of time.

[29:04] This moment of time to write a letter. What would you write? To write a letter to your wife. In which he included instructions for their son.

[29:14] What would you write on such a letter? Your last moments of breathing. The last ink from your pen. Before they strike you down.

[29:27] And kill you. The firing squad. What did General Dean write under these most severe circumstances of life? He wrote briefly but powerfully.

[29:38] Tell Bill. The word is integrity. That's what he wanted his son Bill to know. Tell Bill. The word is integrity.

[29:50] General Dean. No doubt gave a great deal of thought to what he would leave his son. As that legacy. As that defining moment.

[30:01] And it would be difficult to improve on this word. Integrity. He says so very much. Tell Bill. The word is integrity. And we see from Joseph.

[30:12] He was marked by integrity. In every stage of his life. You can read through the accounts of Genesis. Of Joseph. Which takes about a quarter of the book of Genesis. God put a lot of emphasis on Joseph.

[30:24] And we can see that through. And we know in the word. It tells us of Bible characters. It's warts and all. That there wasn't much. Really anything said of Joseph. That was negative. Perhaps.

[30:36] When he's talking of his dreams. He could have used a bit more discretion. About talking about his brothers. Bang down to him. But. Aside from that. We see that. Integrity marked the life of Joseph.

[30:47] And. That God was at work in Joseph. Right through. As he is with us. That. We who love God. And are called according to his purpose. All things work. According to God's purpose.

[30:57] It's for his good. And so God was building Joseph. He's testing him. His faith. And he had an integrity. That held him strong and true. And his faith was steadfast.

[31:08] Friends. You can know that God is in absolute control. Of your life. Absolute control. Of your life. And you can rest on the sure faithfulness of God. To see you through.

[31:19] There'll be some setbacks. There'll be some. You know. One step forward. Two steps back. Hopefully the other way around. But. You know. There'll be those times of setbacks. But God is at work in your life.

[31:31] Through those difficult times too. And so. You can rest on God's sure faithfulness. He will never fail you. He will never fail you. Nor forsake you. And as Joseph told his brothers.

[31:42] At this time. When. He revealed himself to them. But as for you. You thought evil against me. But God meant it unto good.

[31:54] To bring to pass us. It is this day. To save much people alive. God meant it for good. He meant it for evil. Verse 21 now. Therefore fear you not. I will nourish you and your little ones.

[32:07] And he comforted them. And spake kindly unto them. He could have been angry. And vengeful. But he was kind. And forgiving. And our Lord teaches us through Joseph.

[32:19] How to handle the hurts of others. Those people that have hurt you. Forgive them. Forgive them. Simply forgive. Those people that have wronged you.

[32:31] Don't brood over it. Don't let them waste any more of your head space. Forgive them. And set yourself free. Amen. God brought good.

[32:44] Out of all Joseph's trials. And God is always with his people. To see them through. Set back after set back. He's always with you. He will never leave you. Nor forsake you.

[32:54] Through all your trials. And throughout the story of Joseph. Through his life. We see these words repeated. Over and over again. Genesis 39. Here's a couple of the four.

[33:05] In chapter 39. And his master saw. That the Lord was with him. That's Potiphar. And the Lord was with him.

[33:17] And that which he did. The Lord made it to prosper. That's the prison keeper. So whatever your situation. Whatever the matters of life. God is with you. Amen. He is with you.

[33:28] He will never leave you. Nor forsake you. Through all the events of your life. As it was in Joseph's life. But things seemed like they were out of control. It seemed like it was. It was total.

[33:40] Despair. Where's God? Yet God was with him. He never left him. And Joseph was protected right through. And wherever he lived. His life was lived to the glory of God.

[33:52] Whether it was in his father's house. Whether it was in the pit. Whether it was in the possession of slave traders. Or in the house of his master Potiphar. Or in the prison. Or in the palace of Pharaoh.

[34:04] Joseph had integrity. He purposed in his heart. To do right. No matter what the situation. We can learn from many of the saints of the Old Testament.

[34:15] The New. And of church history. People like John Bunyan. That old Baptist preacher. Thrown into the prison. In 17th century England. What was his crime?

[34:26] He was simply preaching the gospel. Without having an authorization. From the church. The established church of the day. He wasn't authorized.

[34:38] He didn't have the right credentials. He didn't have the right membership. He just wanted to preach the gospel. That was all he was doing. And he spent 12 years in jail.

[34:52] 12 years. Simply because he wouldn't promise the courts. That he would not preach. If he were released. It was a fire in his bones. He couldn't help but preach. He spent 12 years.

[35:04] He could have become discouraged. What a setback. What an injustice. 12 long years. He could have got discouraged. But John Bunyan was a man of character.

[35:15] And integrity. While he was in jail. It was said he had a stool. That had three legs. A three-legged stool. He removed one of the legs. And carved it into a flute.

[35:28] To play gospel songs. I don't know how he balanced on those two legs. But he went amazing, isn't it? He wanted rather to have the tune of gospel songs.

[35:40] Than have a stool he could sit on. His limited furniture, no doubt. And so while in jail. Bunyan wrote Pilgrim's Progress. That allegory of the Christian life.

[35:51] The second largest selling book in history. Only to the Bible. At least at one time. And so John Bunyan had integrity. He could have given up.

[36:03] The injustice of it all. But rather he chose to glorify God. To glorify God. And God's used his trials to glorify himself. And God blessed Bunyan.

[36:16] As we know. As much as Bunyan had much other suffering too. A blind daughter. And much privation. And his family begging for bread. Virtually.

[36:26] And so the Lord is looking for men and women of integrity today. Men and women of character. Of faith. People like Joseph. Learn from Joseph. Learn from Joseph.

[36:38] And give glory to God. In the bitterness of life. Firstly. See how Joseph teaches us. How to deal with sin. When you face temptation.

[36:50] Flee temptation. Run away from it. Get away from it. Go to a place where you're away from the temptation. Secondly. We see Joseph teaches us.

[37:00] How to deal with life's setbacks. Faithful service. Don't let it deter you. Don't let any setback. Set you back. Keep on keeping on.

[37:13] Faithful service. And thirdly. We see. Joseph teaches us. How to deal with the hurts. Learn to forgive people. Learn to forgive them.

[37:25] Don't get bitter. But rather keep sweet. Joseph means he increases. Ask the Lord to increase your faith. To help you to be a stronger Christian.

[37:37] I was blessed to get. Someone asked my support. And counsel. I want to encourage you. We want to encourage one another. When you feel like. Oh. I'm about to step into a situation of temptation.

[37:49] Learn from Joseph. Put it into action. Joseph means he increases. Ask God to increase your faith. To increase your determination.

[38:00] To increase that tenderness and compassion of heart. Through the trials and tears. To be useful to God. As a faithful servant.

[38:12] A preacher once said. It's doubtful that God ever used anyone greatly. Without first hurting them deeply. You see the missionaries and ministries.

[38:24] The men and women of God. Through history. They went through great testing. And difficulty. But they were used mightily.

[38:34] Of God. So let's be like Joseph. Keep dreaming. Keep trusting. Keep serving. Be faithful. Persevere. Extend grace and kindness and forgiveness. Keep sweet.

[38:45] And. Life's too short. To bear grudges. And to hold hurts in your heart. Let it go. Let it go. Set yourself free. Joseph shows how God was working.

[38:58] In all the trials of his life. Even in this pagan land. Under this pagan king. God was working then still. And he is in us. In you.

[39:09] Whatever your circumstance. Whatever your situation. Whatever you're going through. Right now. Amen. The Lord is with you. He is with you. As the Lord was with Joseph.

[39:21] And God is with us. Every step of the way ahead. Brothers and sisters. Be encouraged. Deal with sin. Flee. Temptation. Deal with setbacks.

[39:33] Faithfully serve. Deal with hurts. Forgive. Let us pray. God. Our God and King.

[39:44] We praise you on the worthy name. And bless you. Lord for all your goodness and grace. We thank you Lord. That at the cross you gave everything. As you bled and died for sinful man.

[39:56] And rose again. We have life. We that believe. Your work that you've done. Lord. Help us to be living in the light of your truth. We pray if there's any yet to trust you now.

[40:07] They'll trust you now. They'll trust your work. In dying and rising. In the penalty you paid. For sin. For my sin.

[40:18] For our sin. At the cross. Paid in full. And so we can be set free. To serve. To live. To know your will. And to do it. Bless you Lord.

[40:29] Help us to be like Joseph. Help us to increase. And increase. Our faith. Our love. Our service. Our grace.

[40:39] Lord for your praise and glory. In Jesus name. Amen. Amen.